Helheim rising
by Digichef
Summary: Three new heroes are submitted into Valhalla. Everything seems all right, until one vanishes without a trace. It's now up to Magnus Chase and the Floor 19 group to find him, and stop an enraged goddess seeking revenge for Loki's incarceration.
1. Wesley

Wesley Robinson woke up on Friday morning not knowing he was going to die.

Sure, he knew it was going to be a bad day. School sports day. Wesley, being possibly the least athletic kid in his year, was always subjected to torture from the "cool" kids - the runners, the jumpers, the throwers. This year would be no different. He had the appearance of the stereotypical "nerd" - small and skinny, with curly red hair and pianist hands. The only thing missing was a pair of glasses - Wesley had replaced them with contact lenses a few weeks ago, in an effort to be less geeky-looking. It was a small comfort. He didn't have to look geeky to be a geek.

It rained all day. At first, Wesley had hoped it would convince the referees to cancel, or postpone at the very least. No such luck. All it meant was he had to sprint on mud instead of grass. Wesley only competed in running events; he was slightly less awful at running than everything else. Specifically running away.

After two hours of humiliation, including at least three faceplants in the mud, Wesley staggered to the bench. His events were all over. He sat next to James Flynn, his best - or really _only_ \- friend at his school.

"Ugh." Wesley did his best to wipe the mud from his hands. "It had to rain today."

"Did you see me wipe out on the long jump?"

Wesley shook his head.

"You should have seen it," James said, blowing out his cheeks. "Sand everywhere. I think I still have some in my shoes. Remind me to stick with discus from now on."

Wesley managed a smile. "I forgot my watch. What's the time?"

"Good news," said James, glancing at his watch. "The end of the day is ten minutes closer than it was ten minutes ago."

Wesley rolled his eyes.

"Quarter to three."

The end of the day couldn't come fast enough. Wesley was the first to leave the school grounds. He headed where he always went after school - the Museum of London. There was not much he loved more than the past - except maybe for poetry. Wesley hoped to become a professional poet. He had a notebook filled with poetry of every kind - haikus, acrostics, limericks, even the odd epic - all his own creation.

Wesley walked inside the museum. What would he look at today? He studied the floor plan. The Bronze age, he thought. He hadn't visited that for a while. He strode down the hall, unaware that he was being watched.

Wesley was looking at a collection of spears and spearheads when he felt it. It felt like he was being watched - no, it was more than a feeling. He _knew_ he was being watched. He turned. There, standing in the doorway, was an old man.

He was wrapped in a cloak that covered him almost entirely. His head was lowered, so Wesley couldn't see his face. He shuffled slowly, wheezing with every step.

"Are you Wesley Dixon-Cleveland?"

"Uh… yeah." Wesley backed up a little. Something about this guy creeped him out.

The old man's voice sharpened. "You must not be allowed to fulfill your destiny." He raised a hand to point at Wesley, who held back a gasp. The old man's hand was emaciated and blistered, and shrivelled like a prune. Wesley was instantly reminded of _the walking dead._ This old guy could have been a zombie.

"You have to die. I will kill you."

Wesley screamed as the man pulled back his hood. He _was_ a zombie. His face was that of a corpse - a long-dead body someone had brought back to life. The zombie had glowing red eyes - they were the only thing that made the zombie seem alive.

The zombie drew a sword from the folds of its cloak and stabbed at Wesley. Wesley jumped aside just in time, coming out of the attack with only a small gash in his side. Glass shattered. Wesley realised the zombie had destroyed the exhibit's protective glass layer. Alarms sounded all over the building.

It hit Wesley that the zombie would not stop until one of them was dead. He knew it couldn't be him. Not if he could help it. He grabbed the nearest item from the spear exhibit. His hand found a spearhead - a fifteen-centimetre point, like a dagger. He plunged it into the undead warrior's chest.

The zombie didn't seem bothered. Its sword bit into Wesley's shoulder. Wesley screamed in pain, but managed to withdraw the spearhead and stab the zombie again, this time in the neck.

This time, the creature stumbled, long enough for Wesley to crawl away. He made his way to the door, but the zombie was on him. Wesley stabbed twice more, in the hand, then the stomach. The monster dropped its sword and grasped Wesley by the neck, lifting him up so that his feet couldn't touch the ground. Wesley wasn't finished yet. He slashed with the spearhead, trying desperately to slow the zombie down.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone else enter the room. _I'm hallucinating,_ he thought. Surely the glowing armoured girl flying in with a spear made of light was a figment of his imagination.

The clammy fingers tightened around his neck, and Wesley knew beyond all doubt that this was the end. _Oh well,_ he thought. _I may as well go down fighting._ He stabbed the zombie one last time, in the face. At exactly the same time, the fingers tightened around his throat, the glowing girl swooped down on him, and everything went black.


	2. Sasha

The _Draugr_ had been chasing Sasha Slade for over an hour now. She didn't know why, or even how she knew what they were called, but she didn't have time to ask questions now. She only had time to run.

She peeked round a blind corner into an extremely thin alleyway between two apartment buildings. All clear. Checking behind her, she slipped into the alleyway.

A lone trash can served as cover while she ate the last of her sandwiches. They soothed the growling of her stomach, which had been griping since the chase started. This was her first opportunity to relax.

 _Draugr…_ somehow she knew that was what they were. The name itself had no meaning to her - it was probably the word _zombie_ in another language. It certainly wasn't french. Obviously they weren't French Canadian zombies, which meant she was being targeted. Either that, or she was over-thinking things.

Her sandwiches finished, she stood and left the alleyway through the opposite exit. Suddenly, a sharp tug tore out a clump of her long black hair. Gasping in pain, she drew her longbow and turned, sure the _Draugr_ had found her at last. Then she saw what had actually pulled out the hair, and relaxed. She must have brushed up against a loose brick, and the sharp edges had ripped her hair out. She sighed and halfheartedly tugged the clump. It was stuck fast. She'd have to leave it there.

Sasha froze. Footsteps. They were very nearby, practically around the corner. With a jolt, Sasha realised that at this distance, she should have been able to hear breathing. But no. There was no breath.

 _Draugr._

Trusting her instincts, Sasha ran. Behind her, she heard the _whoosh_ of an axe that barely missed its target. She didn't dare to look behind her. She could hear hurried footsteps behind her, and ran faster.

Just ahead of her was a small park. There were a few trees, and a climbing frame. Sasha hoped the zombies weren't good climbers.

She took a running leap and clambered onto a low branch of the nearest tree. She turned, and saw the _Draugr_ in all its horrible glory. It wore bronze armour and a matching helmet with antlers sprouting from the sides. The massive battleaxe in its hands seemed far too large for its shrivelled body. The zombie hefted the axe, which bit into the branch she was standing on, only a few centimetres from Sasha's foot.

Sasha drew her bow. She had "borrowed" it from a hunting store soon after the chase began. She could have chosen a rifle or a shotgun, but the bow just seemed _right_ to her. She could handle a bow far better than any other weapon.

She nocked an arrow and launched it at the zombie. It bounced uselessly off the zombie's breastplate. The zombie swung its axe again. The branch creaked precariously as the axe deepened the first gash in the wood.

Sasha heard a noise behind her, and glanced over her shoulders. "Ugh. This just isn't my day."

Two more zombies had appeared out of nowhere, one carrying a sword and shield, the other a spear. They wore similar helmets to the first, though decorated with horns and wings respectively. Their red eyes were both focused on her.

Then the first _Draugr_ did something unexpected. It opened its mouth and spoke.

"You've led us on quite a chase. Obviously you don't want to die."

Sasha blinked. "That's right. However did you guess?"  
"Ha ha," said the zombie. "Just because we're the dishonored dead doesn't mean we don't understand sarcasm. Now, if you could just step down and reveal your neck…"

"Not fair!" The sword zombie scowled. "Olav, you said _I_ could kill her!"

Olav rolled his eyes. "And you believed me."

"You promised!"

Sasha stayed very still. This was a new experience - hiding up a tree, while three armoured zombies argued over who got to kill her.

The third zombie, with the spear, groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Every. Single. Time. Olav, Snorre - do you two _always_ have to argue about this? Why don't _I_ kill her, save the argument."

"Actually," Sasha said nervously, "I'm the one you're killing, so I should be the one to decide who does it."

The _Draugr_ mumbled in what Sasha hoped was assent.

"Fair enough," said the sword zombie, Snorre. Snorer. Sasha would have found that funny if he wasn't a zombie who wanted to kill her.

Sasha clapped her hands together. "Right! But since I can't decide on my own, how about this? I fire an arrow into the air, and whoever it lands closest to kills me!"

Olav shrugged. "Gisle, so help me, if you kill her before it lands -"

Sasha nocked an arrow, and Olav stopped talking.

Sasha couldn't believe what she was about to do. If it went wrong…

"Go on," Gisle grumbled. "We're getting old here!"

Sasha nodded. "I'll put a stop to that." She spun, and before the zombies could react, she shot Snorer in the face.

Snorer fell backward. On contact with the ground, his head fell off and rolled to Gisle's feet. There was a second of shocked silence. Sasha jumped down from the tree, and hit the ground running. Gisle and Olav yelled behind her, but their heavy armour slowed them down. Sasha was going to escape.

Or so she thought.

She had only traveled ten metres when Gisle's spear hit her between the shoulder-blades. It would have killed her, but it had had to go through her quiver and shirt to get to her skin. It did, however, succeed in knocking her flat on her face.

Sasha stumbled to her feet.

"Um," Gisle said, "would you be so kind as to give me back my spear, please?"

Sasha gave it back - point first. Gisle stumbled, then pulled the spear out of his gut. "That was rude! You'll pay for that, demigod!"

 _Demigod?_

The zombies raised their weapons and charged.

In a flash of bluish light, a symbol appeared in midair between Sasha and the zombies. It was a pretty nondescript symbol - just a vertical line, like an I - but the zombies seemed horrified. The symbol vanished, and Gisle froze. Literally. A thick layer of ice formed around him in the blink of an eye, leaving him an icy statue.

Olav took a step back and looked around. "Aha!"

To Sasha's left was an odd figure. He was tall and thin, with spiky hair so blonde it was almost white. He wore a black biker jacket with equally black pants. He could have been from a 20s silent movie, except for the red and white striped scarf around his neck. He drew a small domino- sized piece of wood from a pouch in his hand and threw it at Olav. The rune hit the ground at his feet. A second symbol appeared above Olav's head, like an upside-down tick. The grass below Olav's feet turned to water, and he fell with a splash. Olav tried to shed his armour, but it was too late. The added weight sent him underneath the water, where he stayed.

"Phew." Sasha walked past the newly made pool to talk to the mysterious man, but he vanished into the shadows.

"Hmm. Odd." She went to leave. Gisle was beginning to melt. She didn't want to be around for that.

SPLASH!

Olav burst from the water, unarmoured but still carrying an axe, sprinting straight at Sasha. On the way, he lashed out and Gisle shattered into a million pieces. "Now there's only _me,_ " he snarled. "I will be honoured to kill you!"

Sasha loosed an arrow. Olav ducked. The arrow went whistling over the _Draugr_ 's head. Sasha reached for another arrow, but her hand touched thin air. All out. She'd have to go melee. She swung her bow at Olav's head. He stumbled, but to Sasha's disappointment, his head didn't fall off.

Olav snorted. Sasha raised her bow again, but screamed in pain as Olav drove his axe home in her side. Olav swung again, hitting her hard in the leg. Sasha toppled to the ground.

Olav loomed over her. "Good try."

Sasha held her bow in front of her in a last-ditch attempt to save her life, but to no avail. The last thing Sasha saw was the huge axe bearing down on her.


	3. Liam

Liam Meadows crept down the darkened hallway, listening carefully for sounds. Even though he had been at the Chase Space for almost two months, this was his first time exploring the top floor, and he had no idea what awaited him. A normal homeless guy would have restrained their curiosity and pretended what had happened had never happened. Caution came with the territory for vagabonds like him. But Liam was not normal. And neither were some of the things he had overheard Magnus Chase say about him.

"I think he's the one," Magnus had said in a lowered voice to Blitzen that morning at breakfast. "He's definitely the son of - you know."

Blitzen's brow furrowed. "Listen, Magnus, I don't know about this. One of the three just happens to appear here, a week after the prophecy? Seems a little convenient, don't you think?"

"I know it seems a little suspicious," Magnus nodded. "But I talked to Hunding, and he's convinced. Most likely he was sent by the Aesir."

"Or his mother," Blitz muttered.

Liam had frozen at that statement. His mother? As far as he knew, his mother had died after he was born. What was going on here?

"Any word from Hearth?" Magnus said. Liam wondered if he had changed the subject deliberately.

Blitz shook his head. "As far as I know, he's still out there searching."

"We'll discuss this again tonight. Keep an eye on him in the meantime."

Liam came to a door that was slightly ajar. Light shone from inside, and he could hear voices. He made out Alex Fierro's voice speaking earnestly, interrupted by Magnus at odd intervals. Alex seemed worked up. Liam only caught a few words - "einherji" - "Valhalla" - "prophecy". What was going on?

"Ssh!" Blitzen's voice cut in. "Do you hear that?"

Liam cursed his stupidity and muted the sound of his breath while trying to slip away silently. He would have made it. A few more steps, and he would have it, but Magnus opened the door and caught him in the act.

"Liam?" Magnus didn't sound angry - only concerned. "Oh, gods. How much did you hear?"

No sooner had he said this than the window at the end of the hall shattered violently. Glass flew everywhere, and Alex burst out of the room, followed by Blitz. Alex saw Liam and slapped Magnus in the shoulder, hard.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Well, I can't very well slap _him,_ can I?"

Blitzen seemed more worried about the broken window - moreover, what had caused it. Liam couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. A dagger was embedded in the ceiling, like it had been thrown from ground level. Blitzen rushed to the window and looked down, and cursed in another language - maybe norwegian? "We have company."

Magnus used the same curse as Blitzen had. He reached for the necklace he always wore and ripped the pendant off the chain. Before Liam could blink, Magnus was holding a metre-long broadsword.

"Whoa!"

"Hey, who's the new guy?"

The voice came out of nowhere. For a minute, Liam thought he was going crazy. Then he realised the truth. Magnus's sword itself had done the talking.

He really _was_ going crazy.

"Is he annoying you? Should I kill him?" the sword continued.

"For the last time, Jack, you don't kill people just because they're annoying."

"That's my job," Alex said.

"What - what's going on?" Liam asked.

Magnus was saved answering by the zombie flying through the window, knocking over Blitzen. Alex didn't even blink. Before Liam knew it, the zombie's head was on the floor and its body collapsed out the window.

Magnus turned to Liam. Concern, with a hint of real fear, showed in his eyes. "Liam, what do you know about Norse mythology?"

Liam blinked. "Norse… What?"

"Incoming!" Jack the sword yelled as a second zombie burst in, followed by a third and fourth.

Blitzen rugby-tackled one zombie, while Magnus wielded Jack against the other, who was - bizarrely - singing One Direction's "Best Song Ever". Soon both zombies lay in piles on the floor.

"Liam," Magnus said. "You might not believe me when I tell you this. The Norse gods - Thor, Loki - they're all real. And we don't know exactly why, but one of them wants you dead."

Liam was dumbfounded. _This_ was what Magnus and Blitzen had been whispering about!

Magnus glanced at Alex and Blitzen, and nodded. "This way, Liam."

Magnus and Alex led Liam outside onto the somewhat ridiculously big lawn out back, while Blitzen stayed behind to protect the innocents. "We don't have much time," Alex said. "Strike that. We have none, actually. Here they come."

At least ten zombies were running at them with various instruments of pain, including swords, axes, and one who was carrying a shotgun. Liam was starting to panic by this point.

"Let me at them!" Jack said. "Go on, _señor_ , don't be a fun sponge!"

" _Fun sponge?"_ Magnus cried, dropping Jack. Instead of falling, Jack hovered in the air, then shot toward the zombies, decapitating two with a single sweep. The others tried to get past, but Jack got in their way, cutting off limbs and singing "look what you made me do". Within seconds, the zombies were gone, but the distant clanking of armour meant that more were on the way.

Alex turned to Liam. "Let me explain, seeing as it seems Magnus is never going to get around to it. We have just been attacked by _Draugr_ \- Norse zombies. Obviously, that means you're a target. There's something about you that's different. You're a demigod."

"A _what_?"

Magnus nodded. "A pretty special one, too. You see, we think you're the son of - get down!"

Magnus pulled Liam down a second before an arrow would have given him a nose piercing.

" _Bein-hofud_!" Alex yelled in the same language as Blitz had earlier. "They're back!"

Six _Draugr_ appeared round a corner, each carrying a bow and a sword. Two of them let an arrow loose. Jack blocked the first arrow before it could hit Alex, but the second bit into Liam's thigh. He yelped in pain and tugged the arrow out.

A second arrow hit Liam, this one in the hip, and he collapsed.

"Jack - deal with those archers."

As the crazy singing sword shot off to make zombie puree, Magnus knelt and pressed his hands to Liam's wounds. "This will only take a moment."

Liam glanced at the action. Alex was holding off one zombie with her garrotte. Jack rebounded off a _Draugr_ helmet and plunged into the dirt blade first, where he stayed, quivering. Liam's friends were losing. The thought stirred something in him - not fear, or even despair. Anger. He stood, ignoring his wounds.

"Hey!" Magnus said. "What are you doing? I was going to heal -"

Liam ran straight at the zombies empty handed. Except that he wasn't empty-handed any more. At some point while he was running, a glistening iron sword had appeared in his hand, which seemed to be both corroded and ruined and brand new at the same time. He lunged with the sword and pierced one draugr in the chest. He then swung his sword, throwing the dead _Draugr_ into two others, which both collapsed. He spun the sword around himself, decapitating three zombies which had been bold enough to approach him. With every zombie he killed, he felt himself growing steadily stronger.

"Liam, look out!"

Liam heard Magnus's warning, but failed to heed it until it was too late. A _Draugr_ sneaked up behind him and plunged a sword into his back.

Liam's scream of pain resonated around the property. The _Draugr_ pulled the sword out and Liam collapsed to the ground.

"No!" Magnus lunged, bowling the zombie over and grabbing Liam in a last-ditch attempt to heal him. But it was no use. Liam could see only darkness, but somehow he was still aware of a glowing woman descending upon him, ready to take his soul.


	4. Welcome to Valhalla

Wesley still wasn't entirely convinced that the whole thing wasn't just an elaborate hallucination. The strange glowing woman had grabbed his arm and seemed to _pull_ him from his body, taking him on a hellish ride through a strange mist that never seemed to end. She had, for the most part, ignored him, never giving him a straight answer about what in God's name was going on.

"Gods," she had said. "Plural."

She had kept quiet after that.

Eventually, Wesley found himself in the front garden of some kind of white and grey mansion, surrounded completely by a tall limestone wall. Weird. He didn't remember landing.

He looked around. The wall encircled the entire property - no gates, nothing. Just a white birch tree with golden leaves. He was stuck.

And he wasn't alone.

The girl hadn't noticed Wesley yet - which was depressingly normal for him. She stood in front of him, facing the door of the mansion as if it were a fascinating show on television.

Wesley wondered if he should say something to alert her to his presence.

He didn't have to. The girl turned to face him suddenly. "Um, hey."

"Hi," said Wesley, desperately racking his brain for something smooth to say that wouldn't end up getting him killed - _again._ "So… are you having the same crazy dream that I am?"

Inwardly, Wesley chided himself. There was no point asking that if it really _was_ a dream.

"The girl nodded. "Zombies? Dying? That sort of thing?"

"Oh my god, it's all real." Wesley rubbed his forehead. "Where are we? What is this place?"

Wesley jumped a foot as the huge doors to the mansion opened suddenly. An explosively hairy bearded man in a bellhop uniform leant on an axe, looking bored - until he saw them.

"Well, well," the man said. "Three at once!"

Wesley was so busy staring at him, it took a few seconds to register what he had said. "There's only two of -"

"Well? What are we waiting for?"

Wesley turned in sync with the girl to see a tall brown-haired boy standing behind them. "Are we going in or not?"

The interior threw Wesley. It was like the Tardis - at least twice as large as it appeared on the outside. The rafters were made from spears and a floor covered in the skins of animals like zebras, elephants and what appeared to be some sort of large penguin.

"You're lucky," said the bellhop. "You're just in time for dinner."

The way the bellhop said it, it sounded like he had said "you're just in time for the trial". That didn't make Wesley feel any better.

To call the dining hall _breathtaking_ would be an understatement. It was like a giant bowl, with layers of tables leading downwards until they reached an enormous tree in the dead centre. Hundreds - maybe thousands - of people sat at the tables, eating from some sort of gigantic creature that seemed like a fusion of several animals.

"Welcome," said the bellhop, "to the feast hall of the slain."

He led the three of them to a table that seemed more lavishly decorated than the others. The people seated at this table looked like the leaders. One stood up and brushed breadcrumbs off his green pinstriped suit. "Where are your Valkyries?"

All at once, a woman rushed in through another door. "Forgive the wait, Lord Helgi," she said breathlessly.

With a start, Wesley recognised her. She was the glowing girl who had shown up at the museum and whisked his soul away! What was going on here?

"You're late, Lucinda," said Helgi. "And the others?"

Lucinda, the 'Valkyrie,' hesitated before answering in a faint Russian accent. "Kamilla… Kamilla is dead."

Several people gasped.

"Dead?" Helgi demanded. "How?"

"Draugr," said Lucinda. "She was ambushed after taking this one." She pointed to the girl next to Wesley, who suppressed a gasp.

Helgi frowned. "This is most unfortunate. And the other? Nya?"

"Gone. She disappeared after bringing him in." This time Lucinda pointed to the brown-haired boy.

Muttering broke out in the hall.

Helgi gestured for quiet. "Despite this… distressing turn of events, the show must go on - so to speak. Fortunately, we already have the videos for their heroic deaths. Let us behold their glorious deaths!"

The crowd seemed to lighten up at this, although Wesley noticed that several people on a table marked _19_ still murmured among themselves.

Before Wesley could say anything, a giant screen appeared out of nowhere, and an image flickered to life. With a start, Wesley noticed it was the Museum of London. Before his eyes, _he_ walked in.

 _The whole time in the museum… I was being recorded?_

Wesley, along with every person in the hall, stared as the hooded zombie shuffled in. He winced as he watched himself being attacked by the zombie, fighting back with the spearhead, until finally, the clammy fingers closed around his throat and the image went black.

There was silence for exactly two seconds. Then, the hall burst into applause - not a standing ovation, just simple, polite applause - but somehow it gave Wesley a bizarre sense of… _pride._

"Wesley Robinson," said Helgi, "What is your parentage?"

"Um, my mother's name is Dr Jessica Robinson. She's a psychiatrist. I never knew my dad."

Helgi nodded. "We will seek wisdom from the runes. Unless, of course, the All-Father wishes to intercede."

He paused, as if waiting for an answer, but none came.

A hooded lady shuffled forward. Wesley nearly yelped - her resemblance to the zombie that had killed him was a little too close for comfort - but Helgi and the others didn't seem fazed.

The old lady pulled a small pouch from her robes, and took from it several small stones that resembled dominoes. She tossed them to the floor.

The patterns on the stones meant nothing to Wesley, but again, the hall erupted into muttering.

"Wesley Robinson."

Silence.

"You have been claimed as a son of the god Bragi."

More muttering.

"The runes say you will fight bravely at Ragnarok, and in tomorrow's combat, you will fall from an arrow to the neck!"

There were scattered cheers and laughs. Wesley suddenly felt sick.

The girl - Sasha - had her video next. Helgi frowned even deeper than he had when he learned of Kamilla's death. This time the applause was punctuated by alarmed voices, no longer muttering, but now speaking at full volume.

The old crone declared Sasha as a daughter of Uller, who was apparently the god of snowshoes, winter, archery, and some other things. Wesley wished Helgi had explained _his_ dad. What was Bragi the god of? Nerds? Weakness?

"Liam Meadows!"

The screen flashed on a third time. _This_ one was the most controversial of all. Wesley spotted two people who featured in the video, Magnus and Alex, on table 19, frowning.

The crone didn't step forward. Instead, a massive bubble popped on the surface of a lake Wesley hadn't noticed before, to reveal three incredibly tall white-robed women.

"The Norns," Helgi murmured. His lone voice resonated throughout the hall.

 _Liam Meadows._

Liam gulped.

 _The son of Death._

Nobody muttered this time. Nobody spoke at all.

The central Norn threw her runestones into the air. When they came to rest, the hall gasped twice as loud as they had at Kamilla's demise.

 _The son of Hel._

Helgi paled. "If that is so, then -"

The middle Norn held her hand up for silence. Three voices broke into the silence.

 _Three heroes in Valhalla wake,_

 _Three sets of bonds are soon to break._

 _Three days hence, life's enemy,_

 _Will strive to set her father free._

 _Three great gods will guide the way,_

 _To the place where all will die one day._

 _Three heroes guard Valhalla's halls,_

 _Two will stay, but one will fall._

With that, the Norns bowed and melted into smoke.


	5. Floor 34

As Liam woke with a start, the fading hope that it had all been a dream faded completely. He really _was_ in Valhalla.

What had happened last night, after the prophecy? He remembered falling backwards, and then blackness.

 _Oh my god,_ he thought, _I fainted._

That prophecy… the Norns had said that directly to him. What did it mean? And how could he be the son of Hel? Wasn't she, like, the goddess of death? Liam vaguely remembered watching Thor: Ragnarok when he was fourteen, before he hit the streets. If his mother was anything like the goddess in that movie…

He got out of bed and looked around at what must have been his room. It was plus-shaped, and in the centre was a tall tree, radiating cold. The tree's bark was pure black, and it had no leaves. Somehow, though, he felt an affinity to it. He walked over and touched the bark. The tree's chill vanished and the bark felt warm beneath his hand. He pulled his hand away. For a moment, the bark had turned brown, the colour of normal trees, in the exact shape of his handprint. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it vanished and the bark became black again.

He heard a knock on the door. He opened it to reveal a dark-haired girl in golden armour. She held out her hand. "I am Ashley Green, captain of the Valkyries. I will be your honorary Valkyrie until we find Nya. Come, you're late for breakfast."

Liam and Ashley stepped out into the corridor. "Your room is on floor thirty-four," she said. "Your friends are on floor nineteen, so you won't see them until breakfast, but you'll have plenty of time to get acquainted."

The dining hall was as full as it had been last night. Liam drew several funny looks as he passed, until he sat down at table 34.

Ashley got up to leave. "If you need anything, find me. I'll be around." She smiled and flew - actually _flew_ \- away.

"Hey there!"

Liam turned. A girl with shoulder-length brown hair and a friendly smile met him.

"You made quite an impression last night," she said. "Meghan Camembert, at your service." She held her hand out, not unlike the way Ashley had.

"Camembert?" Liam asked. "Like the cheese?"

"Yep." Meghan grabbed a plate of chicken wings and piled four or five of them onto her plate. "It fits me. I like Camembert. As well as most cheeses. Or any food, really." to prove her point, she held one chicken wing in her teeth, and poured herself a goblet of some sort of golden liquid. "Call me crazy. I'm a daughter of Thor."

"Really?" Meghan didn't strike Liam as Thor-like.

"Ha!" A new voice chimed in. "You should see the way Thor eats."

Liam turned to his right. Another girl had popped up out of seemingly nowhere. She looked asian, but spoke with a French accent. "So your mum's Hel, huh? Wish one of my parents was a god."

"You're mortal?"

The girl nodded. "I'm French-Japanese. My name's Akira Celeste."

"Must be why you're so sloppy," Meghan jibed, her mouth full of chicken.

"Didn't seem so sloppy on Wednesday when I cut off your spear arm in the training battle!"

Liam blinked. "Training battle?"

Akira nodded. "Every morning. Don't worry. Everyone gets resurrected in the afternoon, and you'll get used to dying soon enough."

Before Liam knew it, he found himself standing in a picturesque green field holding a sword and shield, Akira and Meghan at his side.

Akira put on her helmet. "You're new here, so just stick close to us and you might last more than five minutes. We've formed a temporary alliance with floor nineteen. We'll try to find them, but in the meantime, if someone gets close, hit them with your sword. Nothing to it!"

Liam didn't feel reassured, but before he could protest, a great bell sounded.

"Here we go!" Meghan yelled, brandishing her spear. The two girls rushed forward, and Liam had no choice but to follow.

Within the first thirty seconds, the three of them were attacked twice. First a heavily armoured einherji dashed forward with a battleaxe in each hand, screaming "BLOOD!", which was at odds with the huge grin on his face. Akira finished him off with two quick jabs with her sword. Then two identical boys with close-cropped blonde hair and matching daggers cornered them against an overhanging rock.

"Hi, Eric! Hi, Jerry!" Meghan said good-naturedly as she skewered them both.

The trio made their way to a distant village that sat on the edge of a cliff. "That's where we'll meet floor nineteen," Akira said. "Provided we don't die first."

Liam sighed. "This is not helping me settle in."

Meghan waved him off dismissively. "Again - you'll get used to it."

At last, the three of them reached the village. It was rather bigger than it had looked from a distance - the buildings were obscured by a tall stone wall that looped around it, protecting it from the outside world.

Someone was waiting for them by the moat - a tall african-american in civil war uniform. He waved to get their attention.

"Well, well!" He said, when they reached him. "The legendary son of Hel. Glad to see you're still alive! The name's Thomas Jefferson Jr, but my friends call me TJ. Come on in!"

TJ led the way into the village. "Good news," he called over his shoulder. "We were quick - and lucky - enough to secure the village before anyone else got in. We have it to ourselves now. Maybe not for long, though - some invaders are scaling the cliff as we speak. That being said, we'd better prepare for combat."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a large explosion sounded from somewhere up ahead.

"Uh oh," said Liam. That didn't sound good.

"Hey, what's that?"

Liam turned to where Akira was pointing. A small shape was hurtling through the air towards them, coming from the general direction of the explosion.

"Is that -"

The shape slammed into the grass in front of them. TJ swore. "Halfborn."

Everyone grouped around the Einherji who had just fallen to the ground. Heavily muscled, shirtless, and sporting a massive beard, he was clearly dead. Meghan whistled. "What are we dealing with here?"

"Can't be dragons," TJ mused. "Dragons are thursday. Must be something else. We'd better go check it out."

It definitely wasn't dragons.

Meghan yelped. "A helicopter? Why do they get a helicopter?"

Sure enough, a large-as-life Boeing AH-64 Apache hovered just above the wall on the edge of the cliff, firing a stream of bullets at the ground in front of it. There were already five people gathered in its shadow. Wesley and Sasha were instantly recognisable. To Liam's slight surprise, Magnus and Alex were present as well. There was also a girl with flaming red hair, cursing in Gaelic. All in all, it was a bizarre group.

Wesley was the first to notice the new arrivals. "Liam!"

TJ fired his musket at the helicopter. Nothing happened. The gunship turned its fire on him and he dived out of the way.

"How do we stop it?" Sasha yelled over the roar of the helicopter's blades.

Magnus pulled the pendant off its chain, and suddenly Jack the sword was in his hand.

"Jack!"

" _Senor,_ I told you, I don't do training battles!"

"Come on, Jack. You owe me for that lindworm in Nidavellir!"

Jack sighed. "Fine. What do I do?"

Magnus pointed to the helicopter.

"Are you crazy? How am I supposed to stop that thing?"

"Improvise!" Magnus said, and threw Jack in the helicopter's path.

Liam had been watching the scene with bizarre fascination. Now, he dived to one side as the helicopter fired a missile in his general direction.

Jack flew into the gunship's blades in an impossible attempt at slowing it down. Instead of the sword being torn to shreds upon impact, his blade sheared through the blades, sending it tumbling into the already damaged wall with a crash. Magnus punched the air and whooped. Alex ran toward the wreckage, garrotte ready, searching for survivors she could kill, as TJ took the spare moment to reload his musket. Liam, Wesley and Sasha just stood there in silence.

Alex whistled to get their attention. "Both dead," she reported. "But we're not finished yet - here they come!"


	6. The Hunger Games

Liam watched as dozens of einherji warriors climbed the sheer cliff beneath the village. TJ fired his musket, downing a warrior, but for every one he picked off, four more took their place.

"This is getting nowhere," the red haired girl muttered.

TJ turned to her. "Have you got a better idea, Mallory?"

The redhead, Mallory, shrugged. "Fine then, have it your way."

While they were arguing, an armoured einherji reached the top of the cliff and drew his sword. Sasha rushed to intercept him, lugging her heavy sword over her shoulder and bringing it down toward him. The einherjar blocked the strike easily, and swung his own sword at Sasha. Her armour blocked the worst of the blow, but the blade bit deep into her shoulder, knocking her off her feet. The einherji paused to savour his small victory, as another warrior reached the top of the cliff, and another.

Liam decided that was his cue to intercede. He rushed at the first einherji and skewered him in the stomach, then shoulder-barged the other off the cliff. A feeling began to take over him - the same feeling that had possessed him back on the streets of Boston before his death. He began swinging his sword faster and faster, mauling any einherji that poked their head out.

"Holy Heimdall," said Alex. "That guy's a berserker!"

Liam barely heard the words. He was too busy killing enemies. He slashed and hacked away, ignoring the many wounds he was taking. Before long, the cliffside was littered with corpses.

Magnus applauded loudly. "If only Halfborn could have seen that!"

Suddenly, an axe flew through the air from the village and hit Magnus full in the chest. Magnus groaned and collapsed.

"Hey!" Alex yelled at the offending einherjar. "Nobody kills Magnus but me!" She ran off to get revenge.

TJ frowned. "How did that guy get in?"

"Maybe the attack on the cliff was just a diversion," said Akira. "While we were busy with these guys, the others got in through the gate."

"We'd better go help Alex," Meghan decided, barely suppressing a sigh.

By the time they reached the interior of the village, it was already overtaken by enemy einherjar. One, a heavily armoured woman with two axes, rushed toward the team. "I got this!" Akira yelled.

She was wrong.

The woman pulled her axe out of Akira's chest and wiped it on the grass.

TJ nodded. "Nice one. Afraid I'm going to have to kill you for that."

The woman shrugged. "Not if I kill you first!"

The two began to duel fiercely. "Come on," said Mallory to Liam, Sasha and Wesley. "We need to go find Alex."

Liam just spotted a green and pink shape enter a tower near the village gates. "There!"

The ground floor of the tower looked like a crime scene. Bodies were strewn everywhere, with footprints in blood leading toward the stairs. Wesley went very pale.

"This is normal," Meghan said, noticing his expression. "Especially when you're around Alex. Let's go find her."

"Not that she seems to need help," Sasha noted.

The next two floors were more or less the same as the first. Dead people, bloody footprints, etc. The _third_ floor, however… That was when things got interesting.

Mallory swore. " _Seriously,_ Fierro?"

"Well, excuse _me_ , miss hasty!" Alex shot back from underneath the large corpse that had pinned her in place. "I'm getting there!"

"He can't be that heavy, he's only wearing mail! Shapeshift or something!"

The huge einherji warrior to Alex's left paused in the act of raising his mace to smash Alex's brains in. "Hello there, you four. If you don't mind, I'm trying to claim this kill, so…"

Mallory held up a hand. "Wait your turn. I'm killing her first."

The einherji grumbled, but didn't strike.

Mallory turned back to Alex. "So? Shapeshift already!"

Alex raised a hand and gestured rudely to Mallory, then vanished. Moments later, a small mouse crawled out from under the corpse.

"Nice trick," the surviving einherji said.

"Thanks," Alex replied, and promptly cut his head off with her garrotte.

Liam heard hurried footsteps coming up the stairs. "Is that TJ?"

Faster than thought, an arrow shot into the room and pierced Wesley straight through the neck. With a faint gurgle, he collapsed.

"You wish," Mallory said, raising her daggers. Three einherji burst into the room and were instantly met by Mallory's blades. One managed to pierce her side before being cut down. "Right," she said, once all three were on the ground, "Time to move."

"W-which way?" Sasha stammered, still a little rattled by Wesley's sudden death and her bleeding shoulder.

"Up. Let's go!"

They were now on the crenellated roof of the tower. There was only one einherji here, but something about him made Liam think that he was more dangerous than all the previous fighters combined. Maybe it was the glint in his eyes, the confident half-smile on his lips. It could have been the easy stance he held, that implied that he knew exactly what he was doing. But it was probably due to the massive scythe he held in one hand.

"Hello, Tom," said Alex.

The Einherji nodded a greeting. "Good to see you survived," he said. "I was just thinking I'd have to stand here doing nothing for the rest of the battle! Shall we begin?" He swung his scythe at Mallory, who deflected the blow with her knives but was knocked back by the impact. Tom swung his scythe, slicing Alex apart and opening Sasha's arm in one smooth movement. Mallory stumbled to her feet and threw a knife - it hit Tom in the shin, causing him to lose his balance for a second. Mallory lunged forward but was quickly dismembered.

That left only Liam. He raised his sword.

"Hmm," said Tom. "The son of Hel. Let's see what you can do." He punched Liam with the shaft of his scythe. Liam fell backwards onto the crenellated edge of the tower, the top half of his body teetering off into space. Tom prepared to cut him in half.

"NO!" Sasha screamed, plunging her axe into Tom's back.

Tom groaned, then sighed. "You rookies," he muttered. "Always taking things too seriously."

He tipped forward, crashing into Liam as he fell. Liam teetered on the wall, and then slipped into nothingness.

It was a tall building, right on the edge of the cliff. Liam fell for a very long time. The last thing he saw was darkness - a pool of darkness that opened in the air below him and expanded to embrace him in shadows.


End file.
